Golf

The opening hole starts off with a tee shot to a more generous landing area to allow golfers some wiggle room off the first tee. The opening hole also features a new forward tee. If the pin is located in the left half of the green, the golfer must negotiate the sizeable fairway bunker along the right edge of the fairway in order to allow for the best angle into this well-guarded portion of the putting surface. The green, which is divided into two distinct regions, appears to have much more movement than actually exists. A good warm up for everyone.

This lengthy par-5 should still play much shorter than as advertised. For those who can reach this green in two, the ideal line of attack is from the left edge of the fairway, where the fairway was expanded and several trees were removed. From here, the big hitters can best attack the green with a properly struck left-to-right shot. The approach bunker in the second landing area still comes into play for most, and from the right angle, it appears to look like a greenside hazard. But the green is now open in the front left and players will able to punch shots up onto the putting surface from the left side of the hole.

The first of a stout group of par-3’s, this lengthy one-shotter will knock your socks off! This hole also features a new forward tee, but the green was extended in the back to provide length and variety for the collection of par-3s. The green is extremely long and slender and is guarded by a deep greenside bunker that stretches along the entire right side of the putting surface. Errant shots that are gobbled up by this hazard must be played to a green with little depth to hold a recovery shot. For the less daring, there is plenty of room left of the hole, and when conditions are firm, a low shot to the front of the green shall feed the ball to a back pin.

This dogleg left par-4 places heavy emphasis on tee shot placement in regard to where the pin in positioned. While the back tee was extended to provide some length, yet another forward tee was added to make this hole play more realistic from the forward tees. The approach still plays to a wide green guarded on the left by an enormous bunker, but the exiting hazards on the right were replaced with a series of grass hollows. This green remains on of the largest on the golf course and contains many exciting pin positions. But beware of a pin tucked in the front, right of the green. Although it appears benign, a false-front guards this portion of the green and anything missed short or right will require a tough pitch to a narrow corner of the putting surface.

This testy par-4 boasts one of the more dramatic tee shots on the golf course and introduces a new back tee. Depending on the pin position, golfers must determine whether to carry the short, left fairway bunker or lay-up in front of the right side fairway hazard and have a longer shot into this minuscule green. The green is surrounded by fairway on three sides and falls off sharply on the front left. This expanded collar along the back adds much needed visibility of the target and will force golfers who end up through the green to be creative with his or her recovery shot.

The sixth hole is the last of three consecutive par-4’s, and may prove to be the strongest. Depending on what tier of the landing area one’s tee shot rests, the golfers could have two distinct looks at this well-guarded putting surface that slopes away from the golfer in the back one-third of the green. A mid to long-iron is necessary to reach this target, and an overly aggressive approach could find the new back bunker behind the green or roll through and into one of two new collection areas.

A well-struck drive with plenty of length is still required off the tee, and in the second landing area a new left fairway bunker was added to guard the left side of the fairway, which is the ideal line of attack for most pin positions. The green, which is well guarded in front with two greenside bunkers and a steep false front, also boasts a dramatic shelf in the back, right portion. This feature may serve as a backboard for short pin placements, but will be a headache for top shelf positions. Choose your approach wisely, for landing on the wrong deck can easily result in a three-putt.

This short par-3 may be one of the most picturesque on the entire golf course. But all the amusement stops there, for miss-clubbing could leave short shots in any of three deep, greenside bunkers and overly aggressive shots may feed into one of several collection areas toward the back of the putting surface. To add insult to injury, the putting surface is one of the most severe and deceptive yet, and it breaks in several distinctive directions. This hole also includes a new forward tee, and believe it or not, but the back half of this green still rests at the same elevation of the existing putting surface.

While many trees along the ninth fairway that caught errant drives were lost to last year’s ice storm, a new fairway bunker was added along the right side of the fairway to test shots off the tee. Drives must hug this bunker for the best angle into the green if the pin is on the left half of the green. Any approach shots pulled slightly left will be swallowed up by the slope and end up in the collection area behind the left greenside bunker. No matter where the pin is, this narrow green puts much more stress on accuracy than club selection.

The back nine starts off with a tee shot that might make every player scratch his or her head. Do you lay up short of the bunker in the middle of the fairway and hope to get home with a mid to long-iron approach, dump a shot off to the right portion of the fairway and hope not to find the trees, carry the bunker and attack the green with a short-iron over water, or sneak a tee shot between both fairway bunkers and down the left edge of the fairway and leave yourself with a short pitch and no trouble long or right of the green? With the new fairway bunker that bisects the landing area and a green that now hugs the pond, this may be the most strategic hole on the course. Keep in mind, the majority of the green also breaks toward the water.

This completely rerouted and pesky par-3 only needs three words to describe the club selection: don’t be short! The green complex is guarded by the deepest duo of greenside bunkers on the golf course, and combined with an overly steep approach; this hole should make any player want to grab an extra club. Although penal, this green does widen to the left to allow less courageous golfers room to bail out when the pin is tucked behind one or both greenside bunkers.

This rejuvenated three-shotter provides some of the best views on the golf course. From elevated tees, those who plan to make a run at this green in two must rest their ball along the right side, which is guarded by a new fairway bunker, while others can simply play to the middle. But beware, this fairway does pitch right to left, and being overly conservative could bring the trees along the left into play. The second landing area, although wider than it appears, is completely surrounded with two, seemingly bottomless fairway bunkers short and one bunker to the left. The green, which boasts a negligible terrace along the back portion and is heavily guarded by one greenside bunker, is also one of the smallest on the golf course.

The thirteenth features yet another dramatic, elevated tee shot where the golfer is challenged to bite off as much of the dogleg as his or her strength allows. This new angle of play from the completely re-built tee complex provides for a much stronger golf hole. And reward for a properly angled tee shot over a cluster of fairway bunkering is a shorter approach and better angle into this right-to-left green. For shorter hitters, beware of the new approach bunker short of the green; it can be very deceptive. There is plenty of room to miss right.

This long par-4 puts an added premium on the tee shot, for a long-iron into this green will now be to a much smaller target with larger bunkering on each side of the putting surface. Another forward tee was added to this hole as well. One advantage for short hitters who choose to lay-up short of the creek is that new contouring in the fairway now could assist with a flatter lie for approaches and the creek has been cleared and re-sodded to find and/or play from within the hazard, if one chooses.

This three-shotter was stretched to 600 yards by adding a new back tee and pushing the green back, and it now requires three well-struck shots in order to have a shot at birdie. A new intermediate tee was added as well. If one is to cut off some of the corner from the tees, he or she must decide whether to lay-up close to the menacing fairway bunker or cross the newly-picturesque creek to the fairway short of the green. But be careful; the fairways on either side are awfully tight to the creek, and during firm conditions, it will not be easy to land safe on either end of the hazard. The putting complex boasts some of the most severe contours in the back portion, so keep in mind that there is an option to pull a shot back to the middle of the green from back there.

The sixteenth hole was lengthened a bit, features a new intermediate tee, and the landing area was pinched for mid-range players. The longer hitters still must play over the corner of the property, but the left fairway bunker was shifted to create little room for error. The ideal angle of attack is to clear the bunker and come in from the right edge of the fairway. Those who play conservative will be forced to play over the massive bunker in front of the green. This is a wonderful, strategic two-shot hole!

The last of the par-3’s, this one is no walk in the park, but there is now more variety in yardage with the addition of new middle tee. Although there is now plenty of room to the left of the green, a long and uphill shot must be played to the correct portion of the putting surface, which has shrunk drastically from the existing feature. This green complex is divided into several sections and can be very deceiving. To make matters worse, any golfers who find the right greenside bunker will have a tough time holding his or her recovery shot, for almost the entire green falls right-to-left.

The home hole, which contains similar yardage as before, will play far different than the existing eighteenth hole. No matter where the pin is positioned, one must play along or over the huge fairway bunker on the left in order to set up for the approach. Those who steer clear of that hazard will be forced to play over the long greenside bunker that guards the front, right and into a green that slopes away in the back, left half of the putting surface. There will be many shots that end up in this collection area behind the green, which is adjoined with the putting green to create a nice practice feature. Those that come in from the left may bring the left greenside bunker into play, but have the option to run the ball up onto the green. From this angle of attack, many golfers will also have the luxury of utilizing the back, right slope of the green to hold aggressive shots that roll toward the back.